Mattresses and similar supporting elements are known which are composed of a plurality of modular elements, generally identical with each other, assembled so as to make up a mattress, a cushion or another supporting element.
Examples of embodiments of such products are known, e.g., from WO-81/02384, EP-0208130, DE-3724233, EP1854379, EP-0414586, WO-2005/099520, US-2009/0038080. The mattresses or the supporting elements described in these documents generally comprise a supporting base or an element suitable for housing the modular elements and a protective wrapping or a casing for containing all the elements.
The main advantages of such embodiments lie in the smaller overall dimensions, when they are still not assembled, which ensures easier storage, transport and the possibility for the end user to make the mattress or, generally, the above supporting element, independently.
Furthermore, the modular elements making up the supporting elements of known type can be composed of deformable and elastic elements with various characteristics and with various dimensions so as to adapt to various users and also to the different supporting areas of the user, e.g., head, back, legs, etc.
Consequently a mattress, or a supporting element, made from these modular elements, allows adapting the shape of the supporting surface to people's bodies, according to the conformation and specific requirements of the people themselves.
A drawback of the known type embodiments derives from the presence of a continuous upper sheet of material of polyurethane foam, latex, felt type or the like, used to provide, a uniform surface for the mattress, or for the supporting element when this is assembled. Because of this sheet, the localized adaptation which the single modular elements ought to provide is considerably reduced, since the upper continuity of the sheet itself generates a masking effect of the different elastic capacities, of the carrying capacity and of the profile adaptation of the individual modular elements.
In the event of the upper sheet not being present, the modular elements, being at a certain distance from each other, cannot provide a continuous support for the user, creating an unpleasant feeling of discomfort.
To overcome this drawback, the manufacturers make modular elements with a height below that of the mattress, compensating the lower height with a block of foam or another element used as a base.
In the event of the modular elements, of the polyurethane foam type, being completely juxtaposed with each other, as for example in WO-81/02384, the different elastic and profile adaptation capacities of the single modular elements are hindered by the friction generated between one element and another, and after use, the surface on which the user rests becomes irregular.